Parliament Winter Session: Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm amid Opposition protests over SIR

The Upper House witnessed sharp exchanges between the new Chairperson, CP Radhakrishnan, and the Leader of the Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge.

Addressing the Chair, Kharge said, “The purpose of the notice given under Rule 267 should be stated in the House. This has been the tradition. But suddenly, it has happened that for the members who give notices, neither their name is read out nor the subject of the notice is read out. Our appeal is that there should be an immediate discussion on SIR. This is a very serious issue, because the lives of BLOs are at stake in the country.”

Meanwhile, Opposition MPs held a protest at Parliament’s Makar Dwar, holding placards and banners that read “Stop SIR-Stop Vote Chori”. When the House convened at 11 AM, the uproar continued, with members entering the well and raising slogans.

Several opposition members, including AAP MP Sanjay Singh and DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, submitted notices under Rule 267 to suspend other business and discuss the SIR exercise and the need for electoral reforms.

The government reiterated its willingness to discuss electoral reforms, but not on the immediate timeline demanded by the opposition. Despite the noise, some formal items were listed for the day, including the Standing Committee on Finance’s reports.

The persistent disruptions led the Chairman to adjourn the Rajya Sabha until 2:00 PM IST.
The INDIA bloc MPs began their protest outside the Makar Dwar of Parliament ahead of today’s proceedings. Even on the first day of the Winter Session, the Lok Sabha witnessed several adjournments till noon, 2 pm, and later in the day, as opposition members insisted on discussing the ongoing SIR exercise in 12 States and Union Territories.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore said, “The INDIA Alliance decided yesterday morning that we will stress for the discussion on SIR and the election electoral reform-related things. Today, at 10:30 am, we are having a demonstration in front of the Makar Dwar demanding the same thing. All the MPs are going to protest outside the parliament.”

Further, Tagore said that the Opposition wants a debate on the issue, as it concerns citizens’ right to vote.
“I had given agenda motions also, and we hope that they are accepted. We want a debate on that subject. The government should not run from this critical issue, as the right to vote is at stake. In Bihar, 62 lakh voters have been removed.

It has now been rolled out in 12 states. A lot of BLOs are committing suicide. We wanted to protect the democracy of India. And for that, we need a debate in the Parliament,” the Congress MP said.

On Monday, Congress MP Digvijaya Singh slammed the SIR exercise for delving into the question of citizenship, comparing it to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

He said, “We have always been in favour of the SIR. This has happened before. Back then, the SIR used to run for 2-4 months, and it was a process for registering every citizen’s vote. Voters didn’t fill out any forms. The BLO would come and ask, and we’d give them the information. Our vote would be added. This SIR requires us to fill out forms and provide proof of our Indian citizenship. You’ve enacted the CAA; get it investigated. This is not SIR, this is CAA. We object to it.”

Singh also said, “Our weakness is that we’re not able to do the physical on-the-ground work the Congress Party should do.”Hitting back at the Opposition amid continuous protests and sloganeering inside the House, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi said that the Prime Minister showed them a mirror with his “drama” jibe. She added that if the INDIA bloc continues to create ruckus over “baseless issues”, they will face similar electoral results as in the Bihar Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, on the second day of the Winter Session, the Central government is set to move the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, for consideration and passing in the Lok Sabha. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to move the bill to amend the Central Excise Act in order to raise the excise duties and cess on tobacco products. (ANI)